Customer Reviews

Gateway to Japan: Hakata in War And Peace, 500-1300

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Gateway to Japan is a history of a particular niche of Japan: that of northern Kyushu, which served as the fulcrum between the court in central Japan and the rest of East Asia. Prof. Batten has done a fine job here of identifying the primary elements (war, diplomacy, piracy, and trade) that have coursed through the area's history and bound them all together in such a way that by the end the reader realizes this book is more than just a regional history -- this is the subtext to the making of the Japanese state. Particularly commendable are 1) the book's last chapter, which functions not only as an overview of medieval Hakata but also doubles as a thoughtful guidebook through the streets of modern-day Fukuoka, and 2) the author's engaging style of writing. He takes his subject seriously, but the book is never dry (would that more history writers took note!) Highly recommended for those interested in the history of Kyushu and/or early and medieval Japanese history.